Dragons vary in appearance and behavior from culture to culture. From vicious monsters to benevolent beings, dragons have been both feared and revered. Today, dragons are usually depicted as a reptile like creature with a body similar to an enormous lizard, having four legs, breathing fire, and in the example of the European dragon, having bat-like wings protruding from its back. The word "dragon", in of its self, has a long history, believed to have originated in the Proto-Indo-European "derkesthai", meaning "to see clearly" or "the one with the deadly glance." Later, itevolved into the Greek"drakon" meaning "serpent" or "giant sea fish". Making its way into Latin as "draconem", meaning "huge serpent" or "dragon" it finally became the English word we know today via Old French, some time in the early 13th century. Interestingly, the meaning of the word dragon, from the very beginning, was used to describe both the actual and the mythical. And this is only the etymology of the English word "dragon", not to mention the Chinese languages!

The dragon is associated with so much history and lore that we couldn't possibly scratch the surface here! Dragons have found their way into modern fantasy novels such as The Hobbit and more recently, the Harry Potter series. Whatever your reasons for liking dragons, be it the legends of heroes and the bravery associated with the conquest of them, as a good luck charm, protector or mentor, the Chinese zodiac sign, or perhaps you simply appreciate the dragon for its fearsome appearance, in any case, why not enhance your surrounding with this timeless creature? A steel dragon sculpture will surely create a mystical feeling in your garden, great room,or restaurant. Historically, cartographers used the Latin phrase "hic sunt dracones", meaning "the dragons are here", to denote dangerous or unexplored territories. Can you imagine a steel dragon sculpture on each side of your estate gate, keeping a watchful eye and inspiring the imagination of passerby's? Two feet tall, 20 feet tall? No problem! Our experienced artists can design and create a welded steel dragon sculpture to fit your specific needs, or you may provide a picture or sketch art for our artist to emulate.

Roman Warrior The armor of ancient Rome gave their warriors a notable advantage over their barbarian enemies. Drawing on Greek and Etruscan design, the Romans later incorporated Celtic and Carthaginian inspired equipment as well. After donning their helmets, coats of mail, greaves (shin armor), shields (containing weighted darts), large broadswords, and a double throwable (a large dart with an iron point of nine ounces and a stock of five and one-half feet), they amassed a considerable amount of weight to carry. You can imagine the warriors of Rome were strong and equally intelligent, striking fear into any that opposed them.

A steel welded Roman Warrior sculpture may be just the accent or centerpiece you’ve been looking for! Our artist painstakingly create these works of art one weld at a time, the result is a unique, one of a kind masterpiece. The Roman Warrior sculpture will transport you to another time, a time when all was risked or nothing was gained, such was the life of a Roman warrior, poetic and equally brutal. If you want to make a statement or simply add the finishing touch to your Roman themed home, apartment, fair, event, or movie set, contact our staff today. Bring a little bit of Rome to your home!

The lion's name is derived from the Latin leo. Among the feline species, lions are the most social, living in prides, consisting of mostly females, cubs, and a few adult males. Lions tendto assume specific roles in the pride, lionesses do the majority of the hunting for their pride, being smaller and more agile than the males. Lions spend much of their time resting, remaining inactive for about 20 hours per day. Adult lions have no natural predat ors, most die from wounds inflicted by other lions.

The most distinctive feature of the male lion is its mane, giving it a larger appearance, enhancing its ability to intimidate other male lions, and animals competing for food, mainly the spotted hyena. With some males reaching 550 pounds, its no wonder they were revered as “the king of the jungle.” Truth is, lions also inhabit savannas, grasslands, brush and forest. Up until about 10,000 years ago, lions were the most widespread large land mammals, aside from humans. Today, lions are rapidly approaching the endangered species list due to loss of habitat and conflict with humans.

The lion head is one of the most popular animal symbols in human culture, dating back as far as the Upper Paleolithic period. A cave painting of two lions mating, found in the Lascaux caves, is believed to be 15,000 years old, and a lion-headed ivory carving from Vogelherd cave in Germany has been dated to be about 32,000 years old! The lioness, being a fierce hunter, was chosen as the Egyptian war deities Bast, Mafdet, Menhit, Pakhet, Sekhmet, Tefnut, and the now famous Sphinx. In Ancient Greece and Rome, the lion was represented as the constellation and zodiac sign Leo. In biblical times, Daniel was delivered from the lion's den. “Singh” is an ancient Indian vedic name meaning "lion", today it is used as a surname by over 20 million Sikhs worldwide.

Lions maintain their popularity as characters in modern literature and film such as: Aslan in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the Cowardly Lion in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Simba, in Disney’s animated feature film The Lion King. From carvings and cave paintings, to national flags and modern film and literature, the symbol and lore of the lion is here to stay. Though feared for its history of attacking humans, ironically, it is us who draw inspiration from them, inspiring such traits as strength, nobility, and courage. Sales pitch.

Horses
Most "wild" horses today, such as the American Mustang, are actually feral horses descended from domesticated animals that escaped and adapted to life in the wild. The only true wild horse never to have been successfully domesticated is The Przewalski's Horse (also known as the Mongolian Wild Horse). It is said the domestication of the horse took place in central Asia prior to 3500 BC, and by 2000 BC was completely domesticated.

Horses are "warm-blooded" creatures, however in the context of equine terminology, the term is used to describe temperament, not body temperature. "Hot-bloods" are more sensitive and energetic, such as the Arabian and Thoroughbred breeds. Bred for agility and speed, they are more suitable for riding. The muscular and heavy "cold-bloods" (aka draft horses) are quieter and calmer, bred not only for strength, but also a patient temperament, qualities needed to pull a plow or a heavy carriage. Draft breeds include the Belgian and the Clydesdale, to name a few.

Up until recently, horses were considered unintelligent, due to thier herd mentality. In contrast, modern studies show that horses can perform cognitive tasks, have the ability to solve problems, and are capable of retaining knowledge. Not only do horses excel at simple learning, they are able to solve advanced cognitive challenges such as categorization and concept learning.The horse appeared in prehistoric cave paintings as far back as 16,000 years. A common theme in ancient Egyptian and Grecian art, simplistic rendering gradually evolved into highly detailed, anatomically correct Classical Greek and Roman works. Some of the more famous historic works of equine art include the Standard of Ur (circa 2500BC) and the Horses of Saint Mark.

The first archaeological evidence of horses used in warfare dating back to 4000 BC. Many cultures revolved around the horse, notably, the Mongols of Mongolia, the Huns, and the American Indians of the GreatPlains.Typically nomadic hunter gatherers, these cultures relied heavily on the horse for transportation, hunting, warfare and trading. Today horses are still valued in the workplace for mounted police, on cattle ranches , in search and rescue teams, and hippo therapy (therapeutic horseback riding). It is estimated 100 million horses, donkeys and mules are still used for agriculture andtransportation in less developed areas.

Pegasus is one of the best known equine based creatures in history. Known as “Friend of the Muses”, Pegasus appears in ancient Greek pottery and paintings and sculptures of the Renaissance. The Renaissance period brought a resurgence of the horse in art (previously ushered out by the dominant religious themes), by painters such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Andrea Mantegna. In recent times, artworks depicting famous contemporary horses, horse racing, historic cowboys, Native American traditions, and fox hunting continue in popularity. Horses have also been celebrated in such feature films as Born to Buck, The Apaloosa, or more recently, The Black Stallion, Seabiscuit, and Hidalgo.